Disposable shakers are known in several embodiments.
The Italian patent application RM94A000358 discloses a shaker consisting of several parts and formed by an upper cover part 1, a lower part 2 having a plurality of bins 4 for housing the single cocktail ingredients, and a membrane 3 which may be fixed to the upper part of the lower part after having inserted said different cocktail ingredients in said single bins 4. The coupling between upper part and lower part takes place by means of pressure or a thread or bayonet closure. The shaker consists of synthetic material. This embodiment has the disadvantage of requiring a long manipulation as well as a preliminary opening of the shaker before to prepare a cocktail. In fact said manipulation comprises a first step for opening the shaker, a second step for removing the membrane, a third step for closing again the shaker, a further agitation or shaking step, and a last shaker opening step in order to drink the prepared cocktail. Therefore are considered drawbacks the manual removing of the membrane as well as the temporary access to the bins 4 before the step for closing again the shaker, wherein during said free access time there is obviously the improper possibility for thirds to introduce undesirable substances in said bins.
The IT-A-1.298.721 discloses a similar disposable shaker in which in the base part thereof is removably housed a multibin container. This embodiment has the same drawbacks of the shaker disclosed by the Italian patent application No. RM94A 000358 with additionally the disadvantage of requiring an additional component, that is a removable multibin container and, therefore, of requiring a greater quantity of synthetic material and higher costs.
The document FR-A-2 751 860 discloses a cartridge intended for packaging a cocktail. The cartridge described herein is cylindrical-shaped with several tubular parts arranged axially, i.e. a cover part (A), two intermediate parts (I and K) associated to a disc with tearing duct s facing towards the cover, as well as a mixing cup part (L), having a chamber (M) for a piece of ice as well as a mixing element (R), wherein accommodated between the intermediate piece (I) and the cover (A) is a group (E) formed by cartridges each containing an ingredient of the cocktail provided for, closed at the ends by means of the membrane (F and G) and containing an eccentric duct (O) having a lower end fixed against the disc (H) and projecting with the other end from the cover (A) for pouring the cocktail obtained. The cover (A) in turn has an upper part with tearing ducts (C) projecting downwards and, peripherally, an opening (B) for the passage of air. The group formed by the cartridges (E) and by the through duct (O) can be closed by an openable ring (J). In practice, by axially pressing the cover (A) downwards there occurs the tearing of the upper (F) and lower (G) membranes of the cartridges (E) and, the air flowing in through the opening (B) allows releasing the components of the cocktail into the mixing cup-like base part (L), wherein after the mixing, cooled by the piece of ice, the cocktail may be poured out through the pouring duct (O), which is closable by means of the cap (P). A straw may be also introduced through said through duct (O).
The description above shows that the shaker disclosed in the is document FR-A-2 751 860 has various and serious disadvantages. First and foremost, it requires three parts associable in a sliding manner, as well as the use of a container with several compartments, i.e. with several cartridges, associated to the through duct, as well as a closure ring, alongside the tearing teeth at both ends of the cartridges, with respective openable ring. This implies considerable extension axially with respect to the shaker, as well as an extensive use of synthetic material. A further disadvantage lies in the fact that it requires a high number of moulds as well as a long period of assembly. Another disadvantage lies in the poor exploitation of the inner space of the shaker intended for accommodating the separate liquors, i.e. the components of the cocktail.
The high disproportion in weight between the required synthetic material and the contents of the shaker, i.e. the so-called “overpackaging”, would not allow—not even currently—the use of such disposable shaker in various countries, such as for example Great Britain.
According to the title of the document DE 103 23 608 A1 the latter discloses an “Arrangement with a container for housing a beverage”. Different embodiments are shown which consists of several parts or components, for example 4 components, that is, (for example in FIGS. 8a, 8b, 9, 10, 11a, 11b): 1) a container (2, 52, 64) having at least a tearable wall (membrane) (8, 56) for housing a beverage, 2) a ring-shaped means (4, 26, 36, 44, 70) having teeth (30, 72) for tearing said tearable wall (8, 56), 3) a below lying receptacle (6, 42, 60, 74) for drinking or mixing the beverage which is fallen therein by gravity after the tearing of the tearable wall, and 4) a cap (for example 73 in FIG. 8a).
The shown arrangements (shakers) have each a more or less complicated manipulation which requires an intermediate opening thereof and also the presence of parts which are to be removed from said arrangements before drinking the prepared beverage or cocktail.
Therefore, the illustrated arrangements comprising a plurality of components have practically substantially the disadvantages of the prior art shakers which are avoided by the shakers in two components according to the present invention.